Preview of KnowTheChain’s Upcoming Food & Beverage Benchmark

In early October, KnowTheChain will launch its 2018 Food and Beverage benchmark report, which evaluates 38 of the largest global food and beverage companies on their efforts to address forced labor in their supply chains. The companies covered in the benchmark represent a combined market…

In early October, KnowTheChain will launch its 2018 Food and Beverage benchmark report, which evaluates 38 of the largest global food and beverage companies on their efforts to address forced labor in their supply chains. The companies covered in the benchmark represent a combined market capitalization of $1.9 trillion. Workers in this sector are particularly vulnerable given the nature of the work. Agricultural workers tend to be isolated on remote boats or remote farms, leaving them open to potential exploitation.

The upcoming report analyzes company disclosure and performance across seven themes and provides examples of good practice. The report also provides considerations for company and investor action.

In advance of the benchmark release, we’ve published a preview that highlights the report’s most notable findings. The report finds that though worker voice and recruitment issues have the most impact on workers’ lives, they remain the lowest scoring themes since KnowTheChain’s first Food and Beverage benchmark in 2016. The average company takes little or no action to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.

An example of a notable leading practice comes from Kellogg, which discloses that it partnered with one of its Turkish apple suppliers to gather information on the workers in its supply chains to gain insight into some of the unique challenges faced by migrant workers.

Read an extended benchmark preview here, and keep an eye out for the release of the full benchmark report in early October.